Maloney Outreach

Last Friday I was invited on outreach to Maloney --a small cattle camp community lost in the bush.

It’s a 30 minute drive winding past sun-baked fields of brick clay hidden under a fuzzy layer of yellowing grass.

Since the rainy season is over and summer is inching the thermostat skyward, the roads are more than passable; they are concrete hard.

Miles of yellow stretched out before us as we inched along in the ambulance. Deep ruts carved by a smattering of traffic during the wet season still marred the route, making the ride more reminiscent of a roller coaster than a road.

Children waved in enthusiastic surprise as we bounced past. Some leaned against sturdy walking sticks while cattle lowed behind them.

Long-horns sauntered lazily beside us, callously ignoring the beep of our horn. Vultures circled above.

Off in the distance the smoke of burning cow dung hung in the air; its earthy odor wafted passed in the stifling mid-morning heat.



By the time we arrived at the Rual tree which doubles as medical clinic, there were already a dozen patients waiting to be seen.

They sat sprawled out on a green plastic tarp --their books in hand-- and greeted us with welcoming smiles.



We saw roughly 120 patients (one of which was the newborn with tetanus), but only a handful were actually sick.

I enjoyed getting out and seeing the country. It was a beautiful break full of beautiful people.

Funny side note:
One man chatted me up after staring at me all day. He complemented me on my toe nail polish then asked if I wanted to marry him.

My suitor was the one in orange.

Straight and simple. Gotta love that in a proposal.



He didn’t take it too hard when I declined the offer though. Instead he suggested that I must be one of the Catholic-nun-types as he walked away with his buddies.

Oh Sudan!

Tetanus.

Twenty-eight days ago his teenage mother gave birth to him in a mud tukel. Although small, he seemed healthy; but there was a problem. He wouldn’t breastfeed.

So the family walked to town and bought a plastic bottle and baby formula. They poured it down his throat to keep him alive because he wouldn’t suck.

“He cries a lot,” she complained, “and he isn’t passing stool.”

Dennis was the first to see her. After hearing her complaints, he asked me to review the child and see if there was some kind of bowel obstruction. “The babies abdomen seems rigid,” he said.

So I gathered the mother, her parents and a medley of relatives (who needed to watch) into the tan metal container used as a consultation room. We were on outreach caring for the small community of Maloney which is a 30 minute drive from Tonj.

The teenaged mother nervously set her baby down on the table for me to check, but she wouldn’t meet my eyes. She knew something was seriously wrong.

Drawing back the thin sheet which covered his skeletal frame, my eyes widened in surprise.
    -- It couldn’t be... No, Lord... Not this.

His umbilical cord was infected. Swollen and cracked, it bulged out menacingly from his taut abdomen. Someone had recently painted it purple with Gentian Violet (a messy but effective disinfectant).

His face --a wrinkled mask of pain-- contorted rigidly. His arm flexed to his chest clenching tight little fists that I couldn’t extend. And his legs stretched ram-rod straight locked in attention but crossed at the ankles.



His boney frame was frozen in a pirouette of pain. I couldn’t touch him without inspiring tiny whimpers. Their feebleness made me want to whimper too.

Tetanus.

Oh, Lord. This child of yours is suffering. Papa, what do we do?

I called for Dennis and he agreed. The boy had tetanus. He asked me to prepare the family to come back to Tonj with us. They would have to go sell a cow so he could get the anti-tetanus serum in Wau... assuming it could be found.

Looking from Dennis to the boy then back to Dennis, my heart sank. His words did not make sense.
--“You mean we are going to take the boy back with us in Tonj?” I asked skeptically.
--“Yes,” he stated softly.
--“But we don’t have any anti-tetanus serum. What can we do for him there?” All hope had left my voice by then.
--“We can ease his pain while the family gathers the money for Wau,” he explained.
--“Oh. But... honestly... do you think there is any hope for this child?” I asked flatly. I didn’t see any hope in his eyes. I didn’t feel any hope in my heart.

He hesitated only momentarily then said, “I have seen babies like this recover...”
--“Yes... but after 28 days?” I worried out loud.
--“Stephanie... the boy is in pain. We must do something for him.”

Only then did my brain and heart connect. Yes. We had the ability to help his pain. Was I really suggesting that we send him home to die? What kind of soulless monster had I become?

This tiny little man was suffering. Imprisoned in spastic muscles and tetanic contractions, his short life had known only pain. We had a way to help. We had a duty to help.

I confess I believe his case to be helpless. I don’t know if I should pray for him to live... or die quickly. All I know is there is a 28 day old boy in our clinic who moans incessantly. All I know is there is a scared teenage mother in our clinic who must watch it. All I know is it hurts to see them suffer... and I want to run away from this hurt.

Lord, please help this family. May your will be done. Amen.

Please pray for us to know how to proceed. Pray. Pray. Pray. Thanks.

Sports Outreach

This past week, two Kenyans came to head up a sports outreach in our community. Their goal was to use football to win souls for Christ!

Walter, the director of Michezo Afrika (or Sports Africa) has been doing sports outreach for years. He said he got involved in it not long after university, and has been working in some way with sports ministry ever since. He calls himself a sports missionary. And I’d have to agree.

He came with Franklin Shelimba a footballer who played for the Kenyan team Mathare United and has been doing sports outreaches like this for many years as well.

In preparation for this outreach, Sabet organized a number of local football teams and put together a tournament. The young men chosen to participate were all between 12-15 years old.

So when Walter and Franklin got here, they could hit the ground running. They started by training team captains in a series of workshops, sharing the gospel and discipling them all the while.

Afterward, those captains went back to their teams to pass on the skills they had learned in preparation for the tournament.

Walter told me the goal behind this kind of outreach is to disciple disciplers and train trainers. Teaching football is just a platform to share the gospel.

It proved to be a powerful platform indeed. 

By the end of the week, several players joyfully gave their lives to the Lord and prayed for God to do a work in their hearts. Others, I’m told, recommitted their lives. And still others expressed tearful determination to do sports ministry in the future.

I’m so blessed to see the young men being reached in this way. If we can reach these men early, think of how it will impact this region for good!

Franklin & Walter

So praise God with me that God is doing this new work in the youth. I look forward to seeing how God grows this ministry in the future!

If you would like to know more about Walter and Mechizo Afrika, check out this website. It’s a fantastic tool for preaching the gospel.

Community Outreach & Teaching~

Yesterday was the official first day of the Community Outreach & Teaching (here forth referred to as COT). I anticipated warfare (as this outreach has been attacked in every way, shape and form from the moment it was decided on) but I didn’t expect it to be SO OBVIOUS. 

I have been having a difficult time finding someone to translate for me. The girl who agreed to do it, flaked after the second week. The days, I’ve gone out ‘all hell breaks out’ in the clinic leaving me frazzled and distracted. Some days I feel guilty for leaving the clinic at all.... yada-yada, etc.

Point is. The enemy doesn’t seem to like me doing this outreach much. Hum... I wonder why?

Well yesterday, I got slammed in a few directions before I was able to even step out the gate. As a result I got a VERY late start. It was almost 11 am before I headed out. But since I wasn’t able to get out last week (lack of translator), I decided to go do the ‘rounds’ again of the area and remind people the teaching was today.

Several said they’d come. But when we got to the designated spot (aka: mango tree), no one had come. So we waited. I asked my translator what he thought of it all. Was it too late in the day? Would they be taking care of their families? Cooking meals? Planting peanuts?

He told me earlier was better but assured me several women seemed interested. So we waited some more. A full hour later, a handful arrived. And when they sat down, even more arrived. By the end, about 40 people had come and gone.

I taught on what to do if there is a problem in labor, how to identify problems and what can happen if not caught in time. Some of the women listened better than others. Some people came because they thought I was giving free stuff. Men came and listened. Children played nearby. It was a bit chaotic... but fun.

I was encouraged. Many sounded interested in coming again next month. I will be going each week to a different part of town. Please pray for a permanent translator who has a heart for evangelism and a gift of languages. Pray God protects tuesdays from distraction and discouragement and I’m able to build solid, trusting relationships with the women in town.

Health Teaching Outreach ~

This week has been a strange one. I started going on outreach the same day that I had my first stillbirth delivery. It doesn't surprise me that the enemy chose that day to tear my heart in shreds. Sadly, it worked for awhile.

But I went on outreach anyway -- still traumatized but ready to let God take me to the end of myself. I'm glad I did. Walking through town, meeting with women in their homes and asking them to come to health teaching discussions, was fun.

My interpreter is named Mary. She's 23, smart and the first and only girl to graduate high school in Tonj. She plans to go on to University next year in Wau. Together, we traveled to a few homes, found a good place to meet and spread the word that I'd be coming back once a month to talk to everyone.

One woman asked me if I was Sabet's (my ministry director) second wife. Ha ha. Another woman was so excited she said she'd spread the word too and get the ball rolling. It was fun.

I'll be going each Tuesday. Pray for God to guide my steps, speak through my words and actions and protect me from any trouble.

Oh the things you will see!!!

This unusual mode of transportation is called a Huliglig. The engine is actually a rototiller that is attached to the body of this 'car' to get around town. It is detached again when they need to till the fields! :-) I love the ingenuity of it!

This sign says, "Your Army in Kalinga is just a text or phone call away to serve you..."! I have never called the Army to do anything for me... I wonder what might occasion it here! :-)

Here are more beautiful views of the mountains during out trip to Bugnay! Here the clouds are low on the mountains.... It turns the view gray and chilly but oh so beautiful!!

Prenatals in Bugnay...

Early the morning after we arrived, we started doing prenatals at our house. The women arrived at our stairs, knowing we were in town for just that. When we unpacked all our stuff, we realized we forgot a very important part- the measuring tape. But it was an easy fix, we just asked all the builders in town if we could borrow the construction one. Every time we brought it out to use that day, we laughed. Instead of a soft cloth material, it was metal... the women didn't seem to mind. And we had a good time trying to use it .... bulky and stiff as it was. :-)

We also did house visits for prenatals and baby checks. This mother had delivered the night before we arrived. So this little guy is two days old. He was such a cutie! As you can see, he had a something little special on his hand- and extra thumb. This is regarded as good luck and is not removed in their culture. All in all, we did well over a dozen prenatals and a half dozen baby checks. It was wonderful going to their homes and meeting their children.

 The women seemed so much more relaxed having us as guests in their homes. I even met one young lady who has my EXACT birthday (day, month, year!). Her name is Angela. I took pictures of us together but they didn't work out. :- ( She is due in the next few weeks, and tells me that if she delivers a girl, she'll name her Stephanie.

Our first night in Bugnay...

This is the entrance into Bugnay. We stopped to say hello to friends on our way to Belen's family's house. We have to step over fences made to keep the pigs in and the trails are made of rocks, cement and mud. The women carry all their packages on their heads. And this little girl is no exception. The homes are made of mahogany and concrete as the men learn from an early age how to be master carpenters.

When we arrived, our first visit was to Belen's home where we met her parents and sister who is visiting from Manila. In this picture, you see Belen's back, her niece Sonia and her father. The woman with all the tattoos, is her great aunt. She incidentally, has no idea how old she is. :- ) This is outside their home. We unloaded our bags and settled in for some native coffee. The coffee grows rather well here and it is served extra sweet! - much like the rest of the food in this country! The Filipinos i know have insatiable sweet tooths!

Again, this is Belen's great-aunt. She is so used to squatting and bending over that she is no longer comfortable standing up straight. Although she tried to do just that for this picture. She is smoking native tobacco, rolled in a cigar. Most of the older generation smokes it. Around her neck, hang very old beads that have been around for generations. Many women wear them. They seem to indicate status (as the older the beads, the more expensive they are). She also has the local tattoos on her arms. This is done for beauty. Tattooing is seen as very beautiful and indicates which tribe they are from. It is rarely done anymore, as the younger generation find it difficult to find work in the city when they have tribal tattoos.

That first night, we attended a viewing of a film made to share the gospel with the native peoples. It is called 'The prodigal Son' and has been made into several different dialects. The church was packed and sat riveted by the depiction. I too, understanding nothing, was riveted. We had a few people explain certain events, but as a whole it was very clear. And best of all, it was well received. They showed two versions that night. We didn't stay for the second viewing, as we were too exhausted from our trip.

BUGNAY HO!

Friday morning we packed our bags and climbed atop a Jeepney for an adventurous ride through the Filipino mountains. Our destination? ... BUGNAY! We planned to stay the weekend, check up on all the pregnant women in town and worship with the But-but tribe on Sunday morning. This picture is of me on top of the Jeepney at the beginning of the journey. At one point, there were 23 of us holding on to the rails and bouncing along the bumpy, muddy road. The views were spectacular! This was the main reason we wanted to be on top of the Jeep instead of inside. For more than 6 hours we feasted on the lush scenery and gawked at the rugged tropical beauty.

What a breath of fresh air from the fumed-filled city streets of Davao City. One mountain in particular stands out. It is called 'Sleeping Beauty'. Perhaps you can see her lying there, sleeping in the distance. Rice is the main crop of the Philippines, i would say. This is a rice paddy up close. It will be ready for harvest in July, I'm told. This is a picture of Belen (our lovely local guide and translator!) and me standing on the bridge leading to Bugnay. The bridge is made of metal and sits several hundred feet above one of the largest rivers in the north. That day, it was raging with brown muddy swells from the recent rain storms. In the distance, you can see some of the houses of the village. I am told there are about 1000 inhabitants in Bugnay. And Bugnay is just one of 5 towns, where the But-but live. I'm told the But-but tribe is one of the largest ethnic groups here in the north.

Breath of life...

These are pictures of my second catch here at Abundant Grace of God... We got a text late one night and took our 'ambulance' to go get her. She lived 30 + minutes away in another village and had no means of getting to the clinic. She said she was not active, but when we picked her up she was having strong contractions every 3 minutes. She got to the clinic shortly before 10 pm and had her baby an hour and 13 minutes later! It went quite fast. Her baby needed resuscitation but he perked up quickly. I'm glad she didn't have him at home, as he needed a lot of extra help getting started on this whole breathing thing! This is a picture of our ambulance we picked her up in. This is her sister-in-law, the grandmother and a Filipino midwife on staff... and of course little baby Errin.

This is a picture of my patient and me in front of the clinic. She, like many of the women we serve, is very petite. She isn't angry... at least that is what I'm told. Her tribe is not a smiling bunch.

Transporting to the local hospital...

The other day, we had a patient who chose to go to the hospital and deliver. She got discouraged because she developed severe leg cramps. This picture is Janelle transporting her in our 'ambulance'. Her husband was our 'stretcher' carrying her from the deliver room, to the ambulance and then into the hospital. I think this is my new favorite way of transporting women now. It was fast and very effective... but then again, she weighed very little. Eventually,she was placed on a stainless steel stretcher. It didn't look very comfortable, but it was definitely clean. We all went in to make sure she got the best care possible. We attracted quite a lot of attention so we didn't stay too long. We stopped over at the pharmacy to get some supplies. It is on the side of the hospital.

A sneak peek at the Birthing Center...

This is a quick peek at God's Abundant Grace Maternity Center where I am currently working. It is clinic within a house. The bottom floor has a kitchen, bathroom and three rooms for the clinic. There is a delivery room, prenatal room and postpartum room. It's tight but very efficient. The main entry is the reception room... And this picture is of the director and one of the staff proof reading birth certificates.

In this picture, one of the staff is washing linens. The patients family are required to do their own laundry by hand. It's a simple process and works well.

This is a picture of my first patient here at Abundant Grace. I enjoyed getting to know her over the two days she was here. It was a beautiful birth.

Outreach and prenatals in Laclong!

Today we went to Laclong, a neighboring village to do a teaching on Labor and Delivery and prenatals. It rained the whole time... but it was warm and fun, none the less!
Look at the size of our umbrella!

She was doing the laundry in the rain!

 We also gathered the women and their babies for check-ups.

Laclong- second take...

Getting ready for teaching... already we were attracting a crowd.

 Janelle taking blood pressure

 Inside look at the prenatal room... we fit three women at a time inside the house.

Manila and beyond! - Day one and a half of the adventure

So much... oh so much to share.... but I'll start with this, the ADVENTURE HAS BEGUN! Yesterday morning I was shuttled off to the airport where I caught the early flight to Manila. My partner in crime and trusty side-kick is a travel savvy MK from Africa,named Janelle. Together we had it all figured out. We'd drop our bags at the bus depot and then explore the city on foot. We were excited. Once we landed, we powerhoused our hiking bags on and off carts, around the masses and made it to the concierge desk for information.

We figured it couldn't hurt to ask for directions for the bus depot. When in doubt, ask! Right? We made it to the concierge desk and were thrilled to learn we could get to the station using public transportation. So off we went, with a skip in our step to the bus depot. We boarded a transit bus and rolled on and on... and on. We were told where to get off by the conductor and then asked a few people who helped us find the place. We were so proud that we made it there by bus... all on our ingenious own! (plus the help of about 25 locals- of course). But soon after arriving, we discovered there was just one problem... it was the WRONG TERMINAL!

We then had to brave the taxi system (not a good reputation in manila) and cross town to the northern terminal!.... Amid the honking and exhaust fumes... we had to laugh. We had tried to avoid the taxi and here we were begging one to get us to our next stop. Three hours after landing in Manila... we made it there at last. We purchased our tickets and stored our bags. We were exhausted... hot... hungry and a bit defeated. The noise and the dirt, the heat and the hassle, had conspired to zap the adventurous spirit out of our steps. We had grand plans to see Rizal Park (a 58 hectare oasis in down town Manila) and then roam around museums to while-away the time. But instead we opted for the nearest mall and settled in for a 7 hour lay-over.

We ate, played and laughed our way around the mall. We got lost in the book stores and even more lost looking for the loo! (Apparently only the locals now where they are... and restroom signs cannot be trusted!) We didn't want to stay any longer than we had to at the bus station so we tried to time our connection to the last possible moment. We had to be there at 7pm so, optimistic us, we gave ourselves 15 minutes. We were naive to think that a 7 minute ride could take us longer than 15 minutes or that traffic might play a part in our downfall. But most of all, we assumed that like in everything else in the Philippines, that time didn't matter and they'd hold the bus for us! Oh... we were WRONG! Oh so very WRONG! Not only was our bus gone at 7:05 when we arrived but it had left exactly at 7pm!!! Timeliness is a concept that is largely unknown... or possibly unappreciated by this culture- EXCEPT AT THE BUS STATION!

Happily, my story does not end with my trusty-side-kick and I standing sullen and dejected, holding our bags amid the masses of travelers. We were able to catch the next bus (which thankfully left only 45 minutes later) and bunker down for the 12 hour commute to Tabuk. Yes, you heard that right... 12hrs! Now, I've taken international flights across the Atlantic that didn't take that long! But we were happy... because the Victory Liner bus was taking us further and further away from the BIG-BAD-CITY with every minute. And we were both craving a little country-side time. The ride was uneventful... if you don't count the cheesy-B-class horror movie they subjected us to, or the lack of sleep and leg room. This morning, we arrived safe and sound to our destination... a lovely birthing clinic surrounded by rice fields on three sides and a main street on the last. As I sit on the balcony and type out this message, I get excited about what the next few weeks will entail. I'm sure it will have something to do with catching babies... but i'm hoping for much, much more. But as each adventure leads me to new places... I'll make sure and bring you along. Until then, thank you for lifting us up in prayer!

Ocapan Outreach

The following pictures are of my team traveling to the city of Ocapan on outreach. We had such fun on the motor bikes, playing with the kids and eating python! Yum! We did a health clinic, check-ups and prenatals for the pregnant women of the area. Some of them walked 2 hours to get checked by us! Impressive. On the first day we got there, we had a few hours down time so we taught the kids the game "Duck-duck-goose" but instead named it "fish-fish-Chicken"! We laughed so hard it hurt as these little ones got tapped on the head and started running in random directions! I don't think i've ever enjoyed the game more! We had quite a few spectators too! I'd guess about 50 or so just stood around us and cheered us on.

More ocapan pictures...

Below are a few more pictures of our time in Ocapan. As you can see, there is the python in the bowl getting read to be cook. The guy who caught him, said he only cut off half of him. The rest got stuck down in the hole. But he was a big one.. perhaps 6-7 cm in diameter! I'm posing with the traditional birth attendant that works in that area. The other girls around the dinner table are my team mates and the midwifes that took us out there. Their names are Mary Jane and Ghang-ghang. And as you can see, the circle of kids are playing 'fish! fish! chicken!' 

Badjao Medical Clinic ~

Today I got to join some missionary friends who were doing a medical outreach in the Badjao village called Isla Verde. They had a team of 20 people who have come from Seattle to assist in minor surgeries and do street evangelism.
I didn't bring my camera so I'm including some pictures I took of this village from a few weeks back.

I got to see a woman have knee surgery on the church pulpit platform, watch how a doctor debraided and dressed a young boy's neck which was swollen to the size of his head from a lymph node infection and see how they organize health workers, translators and patients.

I'm hoping to join them on an outreach in July to a Muslim village a few hours from here.

I also got to see one of my continuities who is about 5 months pregnant. She is due in October. She works in a medical clinic in a Badjao Muslim village and helps with all the medical outreaches. Her name is Nanang.

These are my missionary friends, Sherry and her husband Patrick.